What we've accomplished so far

The Winston-Salem Poverty Thought Force was formed in October 2015 to identify steps both feasible and impactful to reduce the number of residents living in poverty. The Thought Force formed five subcommittees, listed below, each focused on a specific aspect of poverty. The starting point for each subcommittee's work was a world café to gather information and ideas from the public and from people who work in these areas.

The ideas culled from the world cafés were rated for potential impact (how much difference would it make in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, if implemented) and feasibility (what are the chances it could actually win City Council approval -- or, as appropriate, statewide or even national support). The list of those ideas deemed most impactful and feasible was refined by the Poverty Thought Force to create a final list of recommendations forwarded Mayor Joines and the City Council in the Poverty Thought Force Final Report.

The members of the Poverty Though Force extend their sincere appreciation to everyone who participated in the world cafés or who are otherwise are supporting this initiative.

World cafés on education & life skills, and on housing & homelessness, were held at Wake Forest Biotech Place on Feb. 23, 2016.

Hunger & Food Insecurity

To avoid duplicating efforts, the Thought Force's subcommittee on hunger and food insecurity adopted the findings of a world café held in September 2015 that was organized by Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, Wake Forest University and WFDD. Read more about it.

Health & Wellness

Jobs & Workforce Development

Community Review

On October 10, a sixth world café was held attended exclusively by county residents, currently or recently living in impoverished conditions, to discuss the potential practical effects of recommendations from the previous world cafes. Read more about it.